Star Angel: Dawn of War (Star Angel Book 3)

by David G. McDaniel

  “If we go there with an armada,” he was saying, “even a small armada, a handful of your best ships, Anitra would be ours in a day.” Already he was on to particulars, barely having begun the conversation and already making great assumptions. Cee continued to be impressed with the degree of his desire. His complete disregard for the finer points of negotiation, to presume such vastness of action—and that it would be undertaken so quickly—at his mere wish—was fascinating to behold.

  Following a great deal of convincing on her part, asking that bordered on pleading—an impression she sought desperately to avoid, both before her delegates and for her own sense of pride—Kang finally relented to hand over the Icon, so they could begin studying it. If they were to do anything they must start with that. Surely he saw the logic. No armada would be sent anywhere if they had no destination. Once he relented, once he realized that in order for his own vision to go forward he must, in fact, give up his only perceived bargaining chip, Cee’s lead scientist summoned his peers and together they took the device off under guard.

  Once done, however, Kang’s insistence only rose.

  “Why are you so eager to see your world subjugated beneath the Kel?” she queried.

  “Not just my world,” he said. “Even when I was snatched away by the Icon, I was near ruling it on my own. The people of my world had no way to stop me. I had half a planet worth of army at my command. The rest would’ve fallen soon and I would’ve ruled it all.

  “But what then? Already I’d begun to feel the fear of that. What was I going to do? I look around here and see much the same thing. You’ve got order, full control, full power. No challenge. Aren’t you empty?”

  Cee was shocked that such a seemingly dull beast had just driven right to the very heart of the Kel dilemma. She worried her expression betrayed her, or that one of her delegates, who knew full well the plight of the Kel, might speak out of turn.

  But Kang pressed on, making his point, not noticing the subtle changes in the room.

  “If the Icon unlocks the stars,” he said, “or at least tells you how to travel between worlds, how much more is out there?” He looked around, up and out, as if he could see the universe without—the turn of his head, as always, exaggerated by the sweep of his crooked horns. There was poetic intent to that longing gaze, but his twisted form projected little more than the ignorance of a sad monster. So many things in one being, thought Cee. Kang was a brute, he had no grace, yet was driven by the same impulses that moved the Kel. He was ignorant, somewhat in intelligence but mostly in his knowledge of things, yet possessed insight far beyond the crudeness he embodied. She tried to see beyond these lesser traits. Decided to find and work only with the useful things. More and more she was convinced it was possible he could be controlled as she imagined. Kept to heel even as he was given rein, perhaps at the head of vast fleets sent for conquest, unleashed on world after world. Yielding, in the bargain, freedom, power, and untold new territory for the Kel.

  She began to hope fervently that her scientists could unlock the device.

  CHAPTER 18: DECISIONS

  Jess walked onto the bridge behind Zac, holding a little back. She wasn’t sure she was ready to face everyone just yet but Zac was determined. The rift between she and Satori was so strong that, despite Zac’s miraculous appearance, Satori’s first reaction to her arrival was the same stony expression that had been passing between them since their falling out. That faded quickly, however, as Satori processed the fact that Zac was actually standing in the doorway, live and in the flesh. She straightened, trying to conceal her surprise.

  “Look who woke up.”

  “Welcome to the party,” Willet chimed in at the same time, immediately enthusiastic. “Have a nice nap?”

  Satori came closer, still snubbing Jess but clearly interested in the Kazerai. “How do you feel?”

  Jess took a steadying breath. With Zac awake possibilities shifted. New decisions might be made.

  He pretended to check himself over. “Fine, actually.” Jess noticed Bianca staring not so discreetly at the bare-chested Zac. Even Satori, gruff mood or not, stole a furtive glance as Zac looked down at himself. Only Nani among the girls seemed immune. Her interest was, as always, scientific.

  “I examined you thoroughly,” she said. “Everything seems in order. You just shut down somehow. Now that you’re awake, physically I think you are, in fact, fine.”

  “Fine indeed,” Bianca snarked, an impulsive little comment meant to be funny. It fell flat. Jess could see her friend flush in embarrassment.

  Zac didn’t notice.

  “So what’s next?” he asked. Satori shifted and Jess recognized all too well the bristling defensiveness in her stance.

  The commander’s response came at once: “What’s next is we’re going home. Now that you’re awake it’s high time.” It was as if she finally snapped from the tenuous trance that had been holding her.

  Zac looked between she and Jess.

  Then said to Satori: “We should stay.” It was a simple statement, and it jumped right to the crux of the matter. No sense wasting time, thought Jess, and prepared herself for the fight ahead.

  Satori crossed her arms and looked angrily at her. Jess wanted to assure her this was all Zac, did not want to keep making an enemy out of her, but at the same time wanted to see how far Zac would get. For the moment she remained quiet.

  “We’re going home,” Satori informed him. “We’re not hanging around just because. And I don’t care if you can break us in half or beat us into paste or whatever. This isn’t about you and your muscles. I know you’re hooked on Jess and before you say anything else I can already see you’re under her spell—” Jess almost blurted he wasn’t but held her tongue “—and I know you’ll do anything she says, but this isn’t happening. We’ve sat here long enough. I don’t know why I haven’t put a stop to it sooner. Maybe I’ve been under a spell. We all know what she’s capable of.” And she shot another pointed stare. “Nani has all the data we could ever want on this lovely little world. It’s time to take this ship back and put it to good use.”

  Of any of them, if anyone was going to rise in her defense Jess expected it to be Zac but, to her surprise, it was Bianca.

  “Why are you being so bossy?” she asked. Satori snapped her attention to her. Just as surprised to hear from the other Earth girl; shooting her a look filled with anger. “I mean,” Bianca held her ground, “I like you, we’ve been through a lot, but you’re acting like you’re in charge or something.”

  “I am in charge!” Suddenly Satori was beside herself. “I’m the senior officer at this little party! Has everyone forgotten?”

  Jess could tell she shouted out of frustration, not for effect. Satori was starting to lose it.

  They probably all were, to some degree.

  “This is Venatres property and I’ve already gone too far! Way too far. I don’t know how I let myself get talked into this but I’m turning it around. Now.” She began to move, as if preparing to take control of the ship right then.

  “I should tell you,” Nani interrupted, another unexpected voice and everyone held, waiting for her to continue as she glanced between consoles. “I found something.” They all listened. Whether because she was the smart one or because she was the least likely to jump into the fray, she had their full attention. The pause stretched, and Jess couldn’t tell if Nani was working up the right words to say, oblivious to the tense impatience of her audience, or if she paused for dramatic effect. Probably the former. Nani wasn’t much for drama.

  “Something else,” she said, just before Satori continued into action. “I mentioned a few things earlier about my investigation of the Project. Well, just a while ago I discovered more. A little more from the laptop and I’ve checked it against live feeds.” She looked directly at Jessica. “Confirmed. Turns out the Project is planning an operation to capture the head of the Bok.” Now she glanced at the group. “I’ve correlated what I found to their active t
ransmissions, things they’re talking about right now. With a little more time I can find out how and when they plan to move.” She looked at the people on the bridge as if they totally got how huge that was. Jess looked around the room. No one got it. She did, but no one else knew what this was all about.

  Almost she said something but again held her tongue. Choosing to let this play out a bit further.

  “I’ve been piecing it together,” Nani went on, “and according to what the Project is saying they have a window and it’s soon. A chance to capture the head of the Esehta Bok. The Bok, the one group with direct ties to all this.” She gestured around the bridge. “The Kel and their entire history. I say this only because it occurs to me we may have an opportunity.” Jess held her breath as Nani continued. “I haven’t been able to find anything on the Bok, and believe me I’ve been digging. Now this. And the Bok … the Bok, as I keep saying, are connected to the last Kel, from a thousand years ago. They are a direct, living link between humans and Kel. If we can get inside their organization, peel back the covers … they will know things.”

  Jess couldn’t believe it.

  It was like Nani was reading her mind.

  Satori was already reacting but Nani cut her off with a raised hand. “Listen,” a little out of character for the shy scientist, and as she went on Jess found herself staring anxiously at Satori’s angry red head. “I know there’s some argument about what to do.” Satori kept her mouth buttoned as Nani continued. “Well, here it is. We could undercut what the Project is planning. Get to the Bok before them. The society who, in their past, were allies with the ancient Kel that built this ship. The society with a direct connection to the Kel we found in that other system. Separated for a thousand years. Who knows what records they hold? They must have incredible archives, even legends. We can put that with what I have right here, from the Reaver, and with it piece together the final bits of history following their demise. That information could prove critical. I can’t stress enough how important it is that we know everything we can about the Kel.” Nani truly believed in the alien threat. She shifted in her seat. “Also, the Bok may have one or more Icons. I think they will. The Project believes they do. Those could be cracked to unlock other locations, probably other worlds.

  “We can’t let this opportunity slip.”

  Satori was speechless.

  Jess wanted to scream Yes!

  This was exactly what they should do.

  “We’re already here,” Nani went on, bordering on a sense of passion, which Jess found intensely perfect in that moment from their scientist savior, “and with this new information we have a chance. Once the Project acts we lose the opportunity and the Bok might never surface again. At least not where we could find them.” She looked around at everyone, not just Satori. “We’re here, and this operation by the Project is coming soon.” She inhaled, revealing her idea for the way: “Zac could easily crash it. Bypass the Project and get what they’re after.” She let that sit for a perfectly timed second. “We crack the Bok and then go home. With every single bit of information we can.”

  Zac, Jess noticed, had warmed to the idea. He looked to her, seeing the excitement in her own eyes, then turned to the others. “Crack the Bok,” he agreed, going right along with Nani’s developing plan. It was insane, it was cool, and Jess knew the mere idea of it was flying right in the teeth of every bit of Satori’s reason.

  The commander found her voice. “Crack the Bok?” she spluttered. “This is not some personal warship!” She looked around the bridge, seeing nothing but crazy people. To Jessica’s mild surprise Satori seemed to be getting no immediate support. Even Willet appeared willing to listen. And now Nani, of all people, was suggesting—just suggesting, mind you, but it was out there—something more extreme than anything Jess herself could’ve dreamed up:

  Run a counter sting to capture the head of the Bok.

  For the moment Jess decided to continue staying out of it.

  “You’re all mad.” Satori looked like she’d just had an epiphany. The sudden realization that she truly was smack in the middle of the nut farm at recreation time. Jess imagined how she saw them right then; white robes, shuffling around, holding little cups filled with meds. Nani their silent ringleader.

  About to take control of the asylum.

  Satori leveled her intense focus directly at Zac. “We came to rescue you,” she said. “That’s how I got talked into this little escapade. I fell for it, we did it, then we had to come make sure Kang wasn’t here.” She turned on Jessica. “Though I still have no idea what we were supposed to do if we found him.” She looked back around, at all of them. “Now you want to go off chasing some secret society? Just because we’re here?” She was shaking her head stiffly. “We’re done. Done with all of this. This has gone way too far.”

  Jess worked hard to digest everything, the surge of possibilities at what Nani suggested … She had to push in the direction toward it. This was the right way to go, even if it was so far little more than an idea. Things were clarifying. Like a film of dirt or a fog being wiped away. Not totally clear yet, but getting there.

  She made her mind as calm as she could, as certain. All she knew was that this was a crux, right here, right now—this moment, right there on that bridge, in that very second—and she had to speak before everything degenerated back to a full-blown argument.

  Rationality was a hair-trigger from being shot to hell.

  “I agree with you,” she spoke directly to Satori, trying to think fast. “Believe it or not I do.” She gave that a moment. She’d never been a group leader, now here she was, all eyes fixed firmly to her. Expectant. Demanding.

  But though she’d never led a group she’d caused outcomes no mere group leader ever had. She’d done things that affected millions. She reminded herself of this and pressed on.

  “The problem,” she said, “is that we can’t make decisions based on the things we’ve always known. You want to. I want to. But we can’t. We can no longer decide what to do based on what you—or any of us—simply assume is right. We can’t go by Venatres law, or military regs, or Earth protocols or rules or anything we’ve always gone by. We’re outside that. Beyond it.” She gave everyone a breath to think, though not long enough to raise objections. “We make our own rules now. See? Whatever we decide has to be based on a new set of codes. Our codes. Our decisions. Our rules. And those have to be—have to be—based on the present. Based on what we know now. Everything we used to know has been swept away.” She brushed an arm as if sweeping aside the Old, ushering in the New. “It’s up to us,” she told them. “We have to be incredibly bright, smarter than we’ve ever been, before we make any decision. Before we take any action.”

  She wasn’t sure where this new logic was coming from, but as it gathered form it brought with it additional clarity.

  “Do you see how we’ve risen above that?” She directed the question to all. “We have to look to the greatest good. We have a responsibility now. And while, on the surface, going back may seem like the right thing to do, is it? Is it really? That’s where we have to be smart. Take this ship back and maybe, just maybe, do something to turn the tide of a war? From where we sit, from this new level of responsibility, is that the right thing to do?” She didn’t want to insult Satori but she had to make her see. “In this moment, in this place—we’re beyond all that.

  “And I don’t want to keep arguing, but there are six of us. We’ve stepped far outside the bounds of convention. We should vote on any decisions. Including who should be leader. If we even need a leader.”

  It was a perfect time to stop talking and she did. Her words hung in the air, soaking into everyone’s skulls; thoughts stirred to fresh considerations, begging for just a little more that wasn’t forthcoming. Silence, and for a moment no one moved to fill it.

  “Maybe we should start voting,” said Willet, right as it seemed Satori would resume her tirade. As soon as he spoke Satori glared at him, causing him to
withdraw quickly from the tentative proposal. Yet a small wave of agreement had already begun.

  “We should,” Bianca agreed. The first person she looked to was Nani, and Jess watched the unspoken exchange between them.

  Nani, in turn, looked to Satori. “You guys dragged me here against my will,” she said. “This was all Jessica’s idea. She’s been the one behind it.” Not exactly a vote of confidence, and for an instant Jess worried she would lose the popular support. Until Nani continued: “But,” she said, “however we got here we are, in fact, here. Jess is right. We’re here.” She looked around the bridge, circling her arms as if to say: Stop and look. Really look at where we are. At what we’re sitting in the middle of.

  She lowered her arms and continued. “We have some big decisions to make. No matter how we did it, no matter how we got here, we’re here. And starting now it would be best if we decided on things as a group.”

  Satori bristled. “We’re not—”

  “Listen to what she’s saying.” Zac implored. “Things are different now. This isn’t the same situation we were in just a few days ago. We’ve done what we’ve done and now … The past is behind us. That may sound dumb but it’s true. This is the present. The now. A clean slate, and we have to be careful how we make the future. I know I just woke up, I know I missed a lot, but we do have a responsibility, a new responsibility, to more than just our people back home. Our responsibility is to mankind. Right here is a whole other planet, full of people just like on Anitra.” He pointed until everyone, even Satori, turned to the front of the bridge and the spectacular view of Earth. “If we have a chance to do something greater,” he said, “we have to do it. We have to base our decisions on that. Not past ideas.

  “Look,” he said, and Jess absolutely loved the way he was charging to her support. “We’re halfway into this already. Let’s not turn around. We’re here, now, and according to Nani we can do something.